Grain-apron



(No Model.)

2 shetsfsheen 1. J. E. VANHORN.

GRAIN APRON.

,040. Patented Feb. 10,1891.

fasepl. Vazwrn/ (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. E. VANHORN.

GRAIN APRON.

APatented Feb. 10,1891.

UNITED Srnrns Pn'rnivr erica.

.IOSEPII E. VANIrlORN, OF HENDERSON STATION, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-APRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,040, dated February 10, 1891. Application tiled May 15,1890. Serial No. 351,94. (No model.)

To LZZ whom t may concern:

I-Se it known that I, JOSEPH E. VANHORN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ilenderson Station, in the county of Ford and State of Illinois, have invented a new and uset'ul Grain-Apron, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to aprons for graiucars of that .class which vare used for connecting the grain-door of the car with the sideboard'of a wagon-body from which grain is being shoveled into the car for the purpose ot' preventing waste by catching the grain which does .not actually enter the ear and convey# ing it backinto the wagon-body.

Myinvention has for its object to construct a device of this class in which the width of the apron shall considerably exceed that of the car-door opening, in order that such portions of the grain as may fall outside of the ends of the car-door opening may be intercepted and carried back into the wagon-body from which the grain is being shoveled.

lith these ends in view my invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective view showing the side of the grain-car and a portion of awagon-body and showing the construction and arrangement of my improved grain-apron. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved grain-apron folded and detached from the ear. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 Fig. l is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 4 4. Fig. is a bottom view of the device folded.

upon the upper edge of the grain-doorot the ear to which it is applied.

Ll designates a bar or brace which 1s secured to the under side of the board Lbeyond v the ends of which it extends,as shown at 5 5. The brackets formed by the extensions 5 are i provided with downwardly-extending arms 6,

thelower ends et which have boxes in which is journaled a shaft 7, carrying a drum or roller S, upon which the apron 9 is wound. Said apron may be constructed of cloth, canvas, or other suitable material. One end of the shaft 7 is provided with a ratchet-wheel lO, engaging a pawl ll, which is pivoted to the end of one ot the brackets or extensions 5 of the bar e. The end of the said shaft is also provided with a crank or handle l2, by means of which it may be readily operated to` wind the apron.

The projecting ends or brackets 5 et the cross bar or brace #l are provided at their upper edges with longitudinal guide-rods 16, upon which are mounted the hinged leaves or plates 17, which may be slid er adjusted longitudinally upon the said rods i6. To the upper sides of the brackets or extensions 5 are secured the downwardly-extending guideplates lf), which are extended over the upper edge of the apron. The lower edge of the apron is clamped between a pair of strips 20, which are provided with downwardly-extending arms or clamps adapted to engage the upper edge of the side-board of a wagonbody for the purpose of conuectin g the apron therewith.

The operation of myinvention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed. The board l is adjusted by means of the hooks upon the upper edge of the grain-door of a car. If the door-opening of the car is of greater width than the length of the board l, the wings 2 of the latter may be 'folded out against the sides of the said door-opening. The hinged plates 17 are next folded up against the side of the car and cardoor and pushed back toward the hinged leaves 2 as closely as may be, thus forming joints that would prevent the possibility of any portion of the grain dropping upon the ground. The apron, it will be seen, is eX- tended considerably beyond the ends of the car-door opening, and may, in fact, be of a width equal to the length of thewagon-body, to the side of which the lower edge of said 5 apron is attached by means of the clamps ex* tending from the strips 2O at the lower edge of said apron. The lower edge of the apron having been thus attached, the shaft 7 is rotated by means of the crank at its outer end, 1o thereby winding the apron thereon until it is sufficiently taut, when the device is in position for operation. It will be seen that when the grain is shoveled from the wagon-body through the door-opening of the car any portion of the grain that may fall short of the latter will drop upon the apron and be conveyed back into thc wagon-body without possibility of waste.

I-Ieretofore grain -aprons have been emzo ployed of a width equal to the Width of the car-door opening; but these, while to some extent useful and serviceable, have been iniperfect, because a not inconsiderable portion of the grain would drop outside of the edges of the apron, owing to the insufiicient width of the latter. By my present invention the grain-apron may be made of any desired width, limited only by the length of the wagon-body, and said apron will consequently be found a practically. perfectand useful preventive of the waste of grain while being shoveled from wagon into cars for transportation.

IIaving thus described my invention, I

3 5 claiml. In a grain-apron, the combination of a board provided on its under side with hooks for the attachment of the device to the graindoor of the car, a bar or brace secured to the 4o under side of said board and extended beyond the same at each end, arms or brackets extending downwardly from said extensions, a shaft journaled in said arms or brackets, and the flexible apron wound upon said shaft and provided at its lower edge with clampingstrips having` arms or brackets by means of which it may be attached to the side-board of the wagon-body, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a board provided with hooks on its under side, a bar or brace secured to the under side of said board and having extensions at both ends, arms extending downwardly from said brackets, a shaft journaled in said arms, the apron wound upon said shaft, the ratchet-wheel at the end of the latter engaging a suitable pivoted pawl, a crank mounted at the end of said shaft, and the wings hinged at the ends of the baseboard, substantially as set forth.

In a grain-apron, the combination of the board provided with hooks on its under side for the attachment to the grain-door of a car, the wings or iianges hinged at the ends of said board, and the bar or brace secured upon the under side of said board and having brackets projecting beyond the latter, said brackets being` provided at their upper edges with guide-rods and plates hinged upon said guide rods and longitudinally adjustable thereon, substantially as and forthe purpose herein set forth.

4. In a grain-apron, the combination of the board provided with hooks on its underside, the hinged wings at the ends of said board, the bar or brace secured upon the underside of the latter and having downwardly-extending brackets, the shaft journaled in said brackets, the apron wound upon said shaft and providedat its lower edge with clamping strips having downwardly-extending arms, the longitudinally adjustable hinged plates mounted upon the extensions or brackets of.

the brace having the arms to which the winding-shaft is journaled, and the guard-plates secured to said extensions and extended over the upper edge of the apron, substantially as setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH E. VANIIORN.

Witnesses:

JOHN P. DAY, JOHN B. SHAW, 

